Slaty Skimmer
This Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) is not hanging out in the desert, though it may look like that from this photo. Much of the region is running a strong rainfall deficit from the past few months with many areas abnormally dry and some in the midst of moderate drought. This combined with higher than average temperatures and aggressive destruction of vegetation in areas around ponds like this one (I promise there is a pond out of sight in this photo with actual water) can make what was a favorable area for insects and thus birds and other wildlife far less attractive and beneficial. Water...
Read MoreEastern Wood-Pewee
I recently mentioned that we still have flycatchers coming into the region as spring migration wraps up, and even into early June you may find individuals at migratory stopover sites. One such bird was this Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus viren), and he provided far better looks here than most do in the depths of the dark forest or higher up in the canopy. Finding him was easy thanks to that “peeeeaaaweeee” call, and he is belting it out in the second photo. Identifying flycatchers by voice makes life so much easier, especially when you cannot always rely on habitat thanks to...
Read MorePiping Plover Monitoring
This Piping Plover may be asking, “What do you plan to do about beach conservation today?” as we continue our nonstop work to help monitor and protect them, the American Oystercatcher, Least and Common Terns, and more imperiled waterbird species that nest in Connecticut. It has been a difficult stretch of weather for us in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds (Audubon Connecticut and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History), and we have a ton of field work, outreach and education to get done with a limited staff. We have nests that have been washed out by...
Read MoreMourning Dove
This Mourning Dove was doing what many birds had been recently – hanging out in the warm sun wondering why it was so cold again! But those days are over as we accelerate with rapid nesting and hope that temperatures stay away from the freezing mark or anything near it. What sort of nests and eggs do you have in your yard already?
Read MoreGray Squirrel
This Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) was darting around like the summer had ended and fall was upon us again last week. After such a warm February and March, compared to long-term averages, the chilly start to April and freezing temperatures – not to mention snow – had plenty of animals scurrying back to cold mode. The squirrel was grabbing food and looking at me like, “Shouldn’t you be doing this, too?” as I walked past. Thankfully those days are over because hello, spring! This welcome change in the weather should keep us warm for a while and...
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